Repair of industrial gas turbine nozzle diaphragm packing

ABSTRACT

A technique for refurbishing nozzle diaphragm sections of a gas turbine replaces an eroded section of the nozzle diaphragm with a replacement part designed to engage a slot machined in the nozzle diaphragm. The replacement part is formed of a material with capable of sustained exposure to higher temperature than the original eroded section, and with a similar coefficient of expansion as the material used for manufacture the original nozzle diaphragm. The combination of the nozzle diaphragm and the replacement part conform to the original manufacturer&#39;s dimensional specifications for the nozzle diaphragm.

The present application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/464,684, filed May 12, 2009, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of gas turbines, and in particular to a technique for refurbishing gas turbines.

BACKGROUND ART

In a gas turbine, gas is typically produced by the combustion of fuel. The gas is then passed over a collection of stationary nozzles, which discharge jets of gas against the blades of a turbine rotor, forcing the rotor to rotate. The rotation of the rotor drives the external load of the turbine, such as an electrical generator.

One problem with gas turbines is that the high temperatures in the turbine eventually cause degradation, such as burning, of packings or diaphragms, where the diaphragms are connected to the nozzles.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A technique for refurbishing nozzle diaphragm sections of a gas turbine replaces an eroded section of the nozzle diaphragm with a replacement part designed to engage a slot machined in the nozzle diaphragm. The replacement part is formed of a material that is capable of sustained exposure to higher temperature than the original eroded section, and with a similar coefficient of expansion as the material used for manufacture the original nozzle diaphragm. The combination of the nozzle diaphragm and the replacement part conform to the original manufacturer's dimensional specifications for the nozzle diaphragm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an implementation of apparatus and methods consistent with the present invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain advantages and principles consistent with the invention. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a conventional gas turbine nozzle segment and attached diaphragm segment;

FIG. 2 is a lateral view of the gas turbine diaphragm segment of FIG. 1, illustrating a section to be machined off and replaced during refurbishment;

FIG. 3 is a lateral closeup view of the gas turbine diaphragm segment of FIG. 2, after removal of the rail section;

FIG. 4 is a lateral view of a replacement rail section according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is lateral view of the replacement rail section of FIG. 4 fitted into the gas turbine diaphragm segment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the replacement rail section of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a top view of the replacement rail section of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

As stated above, a problem with some gas turbines, such as the General Electric Frame 7FA gas turbine, is that they operate at a temperature that can exceeds the ability of the materials used by the original equipment manufacturer to make the diaphragm. A conventional gas turbine nozzle is typically comprised of a plurality of nozzle segments 110, each of which has an associated diaphragm or packing member 120 attached to the nozzle segment, such as shown in FIG. 1.

The nozzle segment 110 is typically manufactured from a high-temperature nickel-based superalloy or other similar material selected for its ability to withstand the high temperatures of hot gas in the turbine, which can reach approximately 2000° F. (1090° C.). The diaphragm 120 is attached radially interior to the vanes of the nozzle segment and forms an air seal around the rotor.

Because the diaphragm segments 120 are not directly exposed to the hot turbine gas, they are typically manufactured from a lower temperature material, such as a cast nickel-iron known in the art as a Ni-Resist (ASTM 439), which is an austenitic cast iron that is often used for heat and corrosion resistant applications. Although the diaphragm 120 is not directly exposed to the high heat, due to heat conduction through the nozzle segment 110 where the diaphragm 120 attaches to the nozzle segment 110, the diaphragm segments 120 often exceed the temperature limits of the Ni-Resist material, typically approximately 1500° F. (815° C.). The excessive temperature causes oxidation and erosion of the diaphragm segments 120, most commonly in the aft hook area 130, sometimes referred to as a rail section, where the diaphragm segment 120 attaches to the nozzle segment 110. This oxidation and erosion, sometimes referred to as burning of the rail section is typically discovered when the turbine is taken out of service for repair and refurbishment. Although the disclosure below and in the drawings is set forth using a replacement for the aft hook area 130, the techniques disclosed herein can be employed to replace other heat-damaged areas of the diaphragm 120, as needed.

Some refurbishers have repaired the eroded rail surface by machining the eroded surface to remove the eroded and corroded portions, welding on additional Ni-Resist material, and remachining the diaphragm 120 to the original equipment manufacturer's dimensional specifications. Such a technique is difficult to perform, because the casting porosity and heavy oxidation of the Ni-Resist material makes it difficult to weld. Furthermore, the conventional welding refurbishment technique does not permanently solve the problem, and the diaphragm is subject to the same erosion and oxidation, because the repair does not solve the problem of the excessive temperature. Thus, the repaired diaphragm may develop the same erosion and oxidation as before, requiring redoing the repair procedure.

Others have replaced the entire diaphragm section 120 with a replacement diaphragm section manufactured from a higher temperature material, such as a stainless steel. While the replacement diaphragm made of stainless steel is capable of withstanding higher temperatures than the Ni-Resist material, the cost of replacing the diaphragm with a new diaphragm made of stainless steel is undesirably high, because of the higher materials and manufacturing costs for the stainless steel diaphragm, as well as the waste of the original diaphragm, which in most part is not subject to the higher temperatures, and does not suffer the erosion and oxidation as a result, and does not need the higher-temperature material.

As disclosed herein, embodiments of the present invention avoid the high costs of a complete replacement and the lack of durability and difficulty of an original material Ni-Resist material repair. A portion 210 of the aft hook section 130 of the diaphragm 120 (indicated in FIG. 2 with a dashed line, is machined off, removing the area of erosion and corrosion. The removed portion 210 is typically larger than the actual area of erosion and oxidation. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a slot 310 is milled longitudinally into the diaphragm segment 120. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the slot 310, an approximately T-shaped slot. The slot configuration of FIG. 3 is illustrative and by way of example only, and other slot shapes can be used.

A replacement rail insert section 400 is machined, typically from a solid block of a stainless steel material. Most of the rail insert section 400 is machined or milled to match the configuration of the section 210 of the diaphragm 120 that was eroded and removed as described above. But a tab section 410 is machined to match the T-slot 310 in the diaphragm 120 illustrated in FIG. 3. Turning to FIG. 5, the rail insert 400 is illustrated inserted into the diaphragm 120, with the T-slot 310 filled by the tab section 410. The use of a matching T-slot 310 and tab 410 helps provide structural stability for the refurbished diaphragm 120. Although as described above the replacement section 400 is machined to the desired configuration, other techniques for forming the replacement section 400 can be used, such as casting or forging.

In some embodiments, the rail insert 400 is machined roughly the same width as but slightly wider than the diaphragm section 120, then further machined in place after assembly to better match the diaphragm section 120, providing a smooth interface where the tab 410 engages the slot 310. A retainer screw 510 can be used at either end or both ends of the tab-slot interface to hold the rail insert section 400 in place, preventing motion relative to the diaphragm 120.

As illustrated in top view in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rail insert is curved to match the curvature of the diaphragm section 120. In addition, as is also illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, other tooling holes for sensors, screws, or other fasteners can be drilled or otherwise formed in the rail insert section 400 as desired.

If necessary or desired, other openings can be formed or machined in the rail insert 400 for allowing placement of sensors or other conventional elements as used in the original diaphragm section 120 before refurbishment. Where seals, such as the seal 230 of FIG. 2, or slots such as the inter-section seal slot 220 also shown in FIG. 2 were present in the original diaphragm section 120, the rail section insert 400 is milled, drilled, or otherwise configured to provide for such seals or slots, to conform to the original configuration of the diaphragm 120. The resulting assembly thus meets the original equipment manufacturer's specifications for the diaphragm section 120, even though the rail insert section 400 is of a different material than originally specified, and is capable of withstanding the higher temperatures.

The rail insert 400 is preferably manufactured from a block of material. The material used is selected for its ability to sustain high temperatures and with a similar coefficient of expansion as the Ni-Resist material used in the diaphragm 120. In one embodiment, the rail insert 400 is manufactured from a stainless steel, such as a type 310 stainless steel. The resulting refurbished nozzle segment and diaphragm is then reassembled with other such segments into the turbine nozzle. Depending on the damage observed or discovered when the turbine nozzle was disassembled for refurbishment, any number of the diaphragm segments 120 can be refurbished as described above, providing a refurbished gas turbine nozzle at a lower cost and with less wasted materials than a complete replacement with higher temperature material, but providing improved durability over a conventional repair procedure that replaces eroded material with the original material.

While certain exemplary embodiments have been described in details and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, which is determined by the claims that follow. 

1. A replacement part for a diaphragm of a gas turbine, comprising: a rail insert corresponding to a removed section of the diaphragm, the rail insert including at least one seal extending therefrom and a tab sized and shaped for insertion into a corresponding T-shaped slot formed into a remaining section of the diaphragm, wherein the removed section and the remaining section of the diaphragm are formed of a first material, and the rail insert is formed of a second material.
 2. The replacement part of claim 1, wherein the removed section is at least partially eroded.
 3. The replacement part of claim 1, wherein the second material is able to withstand higher temperatures than the first material, and wherein the second material has a similar coefficient of expansion as the first material.
 4. The replacement part of claim 3, wherein the second material is a stainless steel.
 5. The replacement part of claim 1, wherein the first and second materials are the same.
 6. A refurbished diaphragm for a gas turbine, comprising: an aft hook formed of a first material and attached to a nozzle, the aft hook defining a tab-receiving slot therein; and a rail insert formed of a second material that is able to withstand higher temperatures than the first material, the rail insert including at least one seal extending therefrom and a tab sized and shaped for insertion into the tab- receiving slot, wherein the refurbished diaphragm meets an original equipment manufacturer's specifications when the tab is secured in the tab-receiving slot.
 7. The refurbished diaphragm of claim 6, wherein the first material is a Ni-Resist material.
 8. The refurbished diaphragm of claim 7, wherein the second material is selected to have a similar coefficient of expansion as the Ni-Resist material.
 9. The refurbished diaphragm of claim 8, wherein the second material is a type 310 stainless steel.
 10. The refurbished diaphragm of claim 6, wherein the rail insert matches a configuration of a removed eroded section of the aft hook.
 11. The refurbished diaphragm of claim 10, wherein the tab-receiving slot is defined in a remaining section of the aft hook.
 12. The refurbished diaphragm of claim 11, wherein the tab-receiving slot is approximately T-shaped, and wherein the tab is machined or milled to match the approximately T-shaped tab-receiving slot.
 13. The refurbished diaphragm of claim 6, further comprising a retainer screw positioned at an interface between the tab and the tab-receiving slot and configured to hold the rail insert in place.
 14. A method of refurbishing a gas turbine diaphragm, comprising: removing an eroded section of the diaphragm, a remaining section of the diaphragm and the removed eroded section of the diaphragm being formed of a first material; forming a tab-receiving slot in the remaining section of the diaphragm; forming a rail insert corresponding to and configured to replace the removed eroded section, the rail insert being formed of a second material and including at least one seal extending therefrom; forming a tab on the rail insert sized and shaped to match the tab-receiving slot; and inserting the tab into the tab-receiving slot, wherein the remaining section and the rail insert form a unitary diaphragm that meets an original equipment manufacturer's specifications.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the tab-receiving slot further comprises machining an approximately T-shaped tab-receiving slot.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the tab on the rail insert further comprises machining the tab to match the approximately T-shaped tab-receiving slot.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the rail insert further comprises machining the rail insert from a single block of the second material.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the second material is able to withstand higher temperatures than the first material, and wherein the second material has a coefficient of expansion similar to that of the first material.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein the second material is a stainless steel. 